When It Rains

When It Rains «1:1»

It was raining.
Gaius, Camelot's physician, was peacefully working in his chambers, alone and in silence but for the sound of the heavy raindrops on the window.

"Where IS that useless lump?!" Prince Arthur banged the door wide open as he slammed into the room. Gaius looked up from his work with a reproachful gaze on the Prince.

"I assume you mean Merlin, Sire?" He asked dryly, giving Arthur a stern look as he took off his glasses.

"Of course I do, I haven't seen him all day and I need him to help me prepare for a knighting ceremony this evening!" Arthur all but shouted.
Gaius raised his eyebrows.

Arthur knew that Gaius disapproved of the way he treated Merlin, but this was getting ridiculous. Arthur was well aware of the shoddiness of his manservant, and to be honest he wouldn't change the way Merlin seemed to substitute hard work for chatting and juvenile banter; Arthur was glad to have trust and friendship in the man he saw every day and who worked for him. However, Merlin did seem to choose the most inconvenient times to disappear, and this time Arthur felt he had a right to be angry.

"I haven't seen him since this morning, Sire," Gaius put on his glasses and went back to work, very used to the crown Prince and his rather over the top ways of complaining. Usually about Merlin.

"Well, did he say anything about where he was going?" Arthur demanded.

"I'm afraid not, Sire," Gaius said absently, already back to giving his full concentration to his work.

Arthur heaved an almighty sigh and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Gaius chuckled and went back to work. He knew Merlin would be out somewhere, fending off giant scorpions or finding a baby dragon or two. He wasn't worried, as his ward had only been gone a few hours, and he always returned unscathed... That is until Arthur got his hands on him.